Crazy for Chicken

Seems like Coq au vin, the classic French braised dish of chicken in a red wine broth with mushrooms and onions is appearing all over. I enjoyed a wonderful version at Tracht’s (Suzanne Tracht) in Long Beach last Tuesday. Since then, Emeril Lagasse and Ina Garten have prepared the dish on the Food Network. I browsed the Jan/Feb version of Cooking Light on Monday and, low and behold, Coq au vin appeared. It is the perfect time of year for Coq au vin – chilly nights by the fire with a warming plate with some good ol’ mashed potatoes to sop up all that wonderful gravy.

Any Coq au vin aficianados out there with a tried-and-true recipe that always satisfies? Or, does anyone have any intriguing facts about the dish (origins, history, etc.) that would make good conversation at the next cocktail party? Here’s Ina Garten’s recipe.